The many legends of the Hagia Sophia
Niki Gamm
The ancient basilica’s fame spreads so far and wide that many legends have sprung up about it over the centuries
On
the day when the Hagia Sophia basilica was first opened in 537 A.D.,
the Byzantine emperor Justinian is supposed to have entered the building
and cried out, “Solomon, I have surpassed you.” The reference in the
Bible is to the building by King Solomon of a temple in Jerusalem. True
or not, it is one of the first of many legends that have come down to us
in regard to the great sixth century cathedral that still stands on
Istanbul’s historic peninsula. Hagia Sophia’s fame spread so far and wide that at least one legend related to the Prophet Muhammad sprang up, according to Henry Matthews in his article, “From the Fifteenth Century to the Present Day,” in the book “Hagia Sophia.” One of the church’s half domes collapsed in the early seventh century and no one in Constantinople was able to repair it. So the emperor sent word to the Prophet and he sent them back with instructions on how to repair the half dome - along with many camels loaded with a special mortar made with sand from Mecca and some of the Prophet’s saliva. Muhammad also reported that he had seen a model of the Hagia Sophia in heaven when he was taken by the Angel Gabriel one night.
